Thursday, January 20, 2011

Pea Salad in Endive Cups

Getting one's daily dose of chlorophyll is more challenging in the winter months. One can't freeze lettuce and so salads must be devised out of other greenery. I often make use of frozen petite peas in various salad incarnations and my latest pea salad tinkering came out so well that I thought I would share this elegant and dare I say easy peasy winter recipe with you.

My friend Lisa, of Finnish-German heritage, makes a great Sweet Pea Salad comprised of frozen peas, sour cream, celery and cashews, but I prefer a more vibrant melange for my pea salad combos and hit upon a great mustardy, lemony, cheesy pea salad that we enjoyed recently served in crisp leaves of Belgian endive.

Endive is a vigorous plant that is easy to grow outdoors in these parts, but the Belgian endive one gets from the grocer is an endive plant that is grown in darkness and sends up hopeful little shoots that are blanched white. They make nice alternatives to chips as crunchy little vehicles for dips and salads and have a slightly bitter taste.

Pea Salad in Endive Cups

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen petite peas (don't get the bigger sized peas as they tend to be starchier and mushier)

Makes 4-6 side dish servings. Great as a pot luck salad and delightful spooned into endive leaves for an elegant appetizer.

I am sending some of this delicious winter pea salad over to my blogger buddy Simona of Briciole, who is this month's guest host of My Legume Love Affair #31, started by Susan the Well-Seasoned Cook to celebrate the wonderful variety of legumes. Legumes are well-loved in our house for their tastiness, economy and healthful qualities and I encourage you to stop by Briciole after the January 31 deadline to see a spectacular amount of posts from bloggers around the world when the roundup is posted for this popular event.

5 comments:

This sounds yummmy!!I'm new to being Gluten Free.And found your blog through other blogs.Thank you for all your helpful information!!As well as tastey sounding recipes.I think I might make this tonight!!

I really like the presentation of the salad and, of course, the salad itself, with its nice combination of flavors. I think the bright green of the peas is a good antidote for the gray outside. Spring, where are you? Thank you so much for your contribution!

I'm going to be doing an afternoon tea for 35 guests, complete with tea sandwiches, fresh fruit, and this pea salad. Any thoughts on how much I should increase this recipe by for plating, say, 3 endive cups per plate?

I would try quintupling the recipe. Not every one is a fan of endive (or peas for that matter)so if some only take a leaf or two and some take none at all you should be okay. You just can't run out of tea or sandwiches.

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